Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint
By David Cordova
When one thinks of basketball in the PSAL, there are many programs that come to mind. However, there is one that may be overlooked amongst the 236 schools amongst the four divisions.
This particular program has been making noise for a quarter-century and as of last year, is on its way back to relevancy.
This program is out of DeWitt Clinton High School. Based out of the middle of the North Bronx on Mosholu Parkway on the No. 4 train line, the Governors have been known as a powerhouse for so many years.
What many don’t know is that the school, which was started in 1897 in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan and has been in its current location since 1929, has produced plenty of pros.
In a 2011 article written in the publication, Bleacher Report, it stated that the Governors had produced 15 NBA players, second only to perennial national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Virginia at the time.
Amongst those alums are Nate “Tiny” Archibald (class of 1966), Alfred “Butch” Lee (class of 1974), Luther Green (class of 1965), Jerry Harkness (class of 1959), Tom Henderson (class of 1969), Dolph Schayes (class of 1945) and Steve Sheppard (class of 1973).
Also, there are two other Clinton alums that made their presence felt on the college basketball scene, one of them infamous and the other a groundbreaking feat that changed the course of history.
The infamous figure was the late Ed Warner (class of 1948), who played at City College of New York in Harlem and led the Beavers to the national championship and the NIT championship in 1950. Unfortunately, he was one of the main people involved in the point-shaving scandal that surfaced not too long afterwards in which he and six other people were arrested for their involvement. As a result, CCNY was forced to vacate both championships.
The one that participated in the legendary moment was none other than Willie Worsley (class of 1964), who was a part of the 1966 Texas Western College team that went all the way to the national championship game and started five black players against the all-white University of Kentucky team. In the game, seven players, all black, played in the game and would knock off the Wildcats. It was a moment that changed the game for African-Americans on the basketball scene.
A lot of the great accomplishments made by the Governors were done when it was an all-boys institution. In 1983, the school would become a co-ed high school.
Fast-forward to the present day. What used to be known as DeWitt Clinton High School is now DeWitt Clinton Educational Campus, which is multiple high schools in the original building. But to many in the area, it’s still known as Clinton.
For some years, the Governors hadn’t had much success.
However, in the three seasons prior to this one, they were a powerhouse in the A/3A division, as they went a combined 79-10 and made two trips to the PSAL semifinals and one to the quarterfinals.
One player on those teams that made noise was Nowah Hargrove (class of 2024), a guard who averaged 27.8 points per game, and after a postgraduate year at the Long Island-based 238 Academy, is now committed to play at Division II College of Staten Island, where he will begin his freshman season this coming fall.
After his departure, came this season, a new era for the Governors. Because of their performance in the 3A division, they were moved up to the 4A division (formerly the AA division) and were one selected to be a part of the Jordan Flight School program, alongside squads such as Monsignor Scanlan, Nazareth, Eagle Academy I (The Bronx) and Eagle Academy II (Brooklyn).
This year’s Governors squad, coached by Chris Ballerini, had some talented gems on the squad, such as seniors Kion Danso, Cleefton Guillou, Jhoan Adames, Gabriel Rodriguez and Kyler Emanuel, as well as underclassmen such as junior Josiah Davis and sophomore Kaedyn Spence.
Throughout the season, this group of players played well in PSAL 4A Bronx/Manhattan division, as they went 7-7, finishing in fifth place behind foes such as Wings, James Monroe, Thurgood Marshall and Eagle Academy I, in that order.
In non-league play, the Governors got some solid wins against teams around the city such as Erasmus Hall, Monsignor McClancy and CHSAA A division champions, St. John’s Prep, as well as Long Island’s Section X champions, Half Hollow Hills East and also Section 1 powerhouse, Mamaroneck.
Their performance in the regular season would have boded well for them. But in the PSAL borough playoffs, they were upset by Evander Childs Campus, on Feb. 11th, losing a nail-biter, 69-68.
Then in the city playoffs, they would get by High School for Construction, 83-68, in the first round on Feb. 26th, but would then succumb in the second round of the playoffs, on Feb. 28th, to last year’s PSAL 4A champions, Eagle Academy II, 106-69.
All in all, it was a great year for the boys on Mosholu Parkway, as they made their presence felt just a little bit throughout the city.
This year’s group will graduate nine seniors, including the backcourt of Danso, a diminutive guard who was known for his prowess for scoring, and averaged 19.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, and also Emmanuel, who transferred from John F. Kennedy and averaged 17.9 points per game. The low-post play of Adames, Rodriguez and Guillou will also be missed, as they were very important contributors that helped them with rebounds and inside scoring.
Of the underclassmen coming back, one to look at is Davis, who was out for most of the season, and then came back towards the end of the regular season, averaged 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two games. He is a solid forward that can hold his own on the floor and can make great plays in the post or on the perimeter.
Last summer, during one of the sessions at Nike’s NY vs. NY tournament at Baisley Pond Park in Jamaica, Queens, he held his own for the Bronx-based Watson Classic, as he had 16 points to helped lead the eventual champions to victory. This spring and summer, he has a chance to show and prove his talents to college coaches, with his squad, the Rising Kings.
As for Spence, he’s a young guard with plenty of poise and some talent. A transfer from Mount St. Michael, he made the most of his time, averaging 6.8 points per game
It was a solid first season on the 4A level for the Governors. All there is left for us to see is how they come back next season. Will there be some transfers coming in or some promising players being called up from the junior varsity? All of that is yet to be determined. But the best is yet to come from the program from the North Bronx.
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